2. The Living Word Jesus Christ
John 1:1, 14 “In the beginning was the Word…” “And the Word became flesh…”
“Word” = Logos
Logos in the cultures
Jesus “speaks” God to us.
Written Word flows from the living Word.

3. The Written Word The First Christians
Scripture = “Old Testament,” the Hebrew Bible
Oral Tradition
Apostolic teaching
Holy Spirit/prophetic activity

4. The Written Word Early Christianity
Decline of Oral Tradition and Prophetic Revelation
Rise of Written Scriptures
Collection was a process of time, common use, and consensus
Result was a fixed list of Scripture – ratified and affirmed rather than imposed

5. The Canon

6. The Canon Addressed problems What should be read in worship?
What will be translated?
What about lists like Marcion’s?
Which books will be protected in the midst of persecution?

7. The Canon Beginnings – “universal acceptance”
Hebrew Scriptures used by Jesus and Apostles
Four Gospels
Writings of Paul
Acts
General epistles and Revelation

8. The Canon Dates Core accepted by 150 A.D. “Muratorian Canon” 170 A.D.
Origen 240 A.D.
Athanasius 367 A.D. (complete list)
Councils of Hippo, Carthage 393 A.D.
Muratorian fragment is 7th century but speaks of 2nd century pope as current. Has 4 Gospels, Paul, Acts, 2 letters of John, Jude, Revelation.

9. The Canon Criteria Apostolic authorship or connection
Accepted universally in the church
Used in worship at Lord’s Table
Consistent theological message

10. The Canon
The Church did not create the Canon. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, the Canon imposed itself upon the Church in the form of universal acknowledgement of its authority.

11. What is Your “Canon?”
To which books of the Bible to you pay most attention in your own teaching, preaching, personal study, etc.? To which do you pay the least attention?

12. The Middle Ages Developments
Latin becomes common, then sacred language
Scriptures are preserved by copying
Art and architecture teach biblical truths
Laity generally does not hear Bible in their own language

13. Reformation Protestant changes New Scripture translation
Sola scriptura – by scripture alone
Response to perception that the medieval church had elevated tradition above Scripture
Printing press
Eventual outcome was Scripture in the hands of the laity

14. Reformation Protestant Results Wider study of the Bible
Diversity of interpretation
Elevation of Scripture’s authority
Individualism in interpretation
Sometimes subjectivism

15. Understanding the Bible
Modern Discussions
Single meaning   Multiple meanings
Simple literal meaning   Symbolic meaning
Individual interpretation   Communal interpretation
Bible apart from tradition   Bible within tradition

16. Understanding the Bible
Modern Discussions
Objective meaning   Subjective impact
Unity of witness   Diversity of witness
Divine aspect   Human aspect
Bible = Word of God   Bible contains Word of God
Inerrancy   Infallibility
Propositional truth   Personal truth
Universal truth   Contextual truth

17. Understanding the Bible
Background theology
Role of Holy Spirit in interpretation
Understanding of inspiration (where in the process, different models)
Understanding of authority
Theological frameworks = “Lenses”
Dispensationalism
Covenant theology
Law and Grace

18. The Covenant Stance “Where is it written?”
“What do the Scriptures say about that?”
“Do you accept the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, as the word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct?”

19. The Covenant Stance
NOTE: what is authoritative is the Scripture, not our interpretation of it
- the Scriptures must be interpreted to be authoritative, but individual interpretations are not in themselves exclusively authoritative

20. The Covenant Stance
Seeing the Scriptures as the living, breathing word of God
Recognition of the tentative nature of human interpretations
- Avoiding the danger of bibliolatry
- Avoiding the danger of subjectivism

21. To believe the Bible is more than believing everything in it, from cover to cover. One can do that and yet be a stranger to the Bible’s message and unmoved by the Bible’s purposes. A living faith in the Bible as God’s Word is the same as faith in God. The Bible’s promises and threats, the whole content of the Bible becomes real when God becomes real. It is possible to believe in the Bible instead of believing in God. That is not only possible but common in countries which have the Bible. The holiest objects are the first to become idols.

22. Doubtless there are altogether too many in Protestant Christendom who imagine that they believe in God because they never doubted the Bible and have a sure and comprehensive knowledge of Christianity… But no institutions and no book, no matter how holy it may be, can replace a living faith in the living God. And a man cannot lose his Bible in a more frightening way than in this way: that it becomes an idol.
David Nyvall